


Opposites Attract

by swedishaizen



Category: Bleach
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Opposites Attract, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25363435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swedishaizen/pseuds/swedishaizen
Summary: During the Thousand Year Blood War arc, a dramatic turn of events occurs to where Orihime Inoue and Sōsuke Aizen develop a bond and care for one another. What causes this? Why would complete opposites bond over anything?
Relationships: Aizen Sousuke/Inoue Orihime
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Opposites Attract

The very idea of love is a difficult concept. Of course, it’s an emotion that one feels, however what determines it to be right? Some say that one can’t be with someone who is nothing like them, while the other school of thought is that you can be different from each other. The latter is the case and how you would describe the relationship between Sōsuke Aizen and Orihime Inoue.

Sōsuke Aizen, the former Captain of the 5th division of the Gotei 13, was known as a very well mannered guy during his time as a captain in the Soul Society. Very few people had anything bad to say about him. In fact, he was well loved and well respected. His lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, was infatuated by him. She admired him, he was one of the reasons she joined the Soul Reaper academy in the first place.

When Aizen finally betrayed the Soul Society, it took everyone truly by surprise. The well mannered, loveable captain everyone thought they knew, was only an illusion, or facade. The true Sōsuke Aizen was manipulative and cunning. He was on a mission to transcend everyone and everything and nothing, or no one, could stop him on this journey. 

When he revealed his true identity, those closest to him took it the hardest. They just couldn’t fathom that someone so evil could have such a calming and warm presence to them. They couldn’t believe that someone they thought of as being so kind hearted could be so cold and dark. 

If there is someone who can be considered the direct opposite of Sōsuke Aizen it is Orihime Inoue. Orihime is known as the most wholesome person in the world. She is truly kind, innocent, caring, and loving, all of which are traits that can never be used to describe Sōsuke Aizen. All the dark things about Orihime’s past; her abusive and alcoholic parents, loss of her brother, seeing her friends hurt and not being able to do anything about it, has not swayed her heart one bit. There is truly no darkness within Orihime’s heart. Only light, which she is often thought of by her best friends as the light in the darkness. 

Orihime Inoue and Sōsuke Aizen’s path first crossed that day on Sokyoku Hill. She saw Sōsuke Aizen attempt to kill Rukia to obtain the hogyoku, and she also almost saw her best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki, almost sliced completely in half, after she saw his immense growth and courage. That was a heartbreaking moment for her, a day she will never forget.

Orihime Inoue and Sōsuke Aizen’s paths did cross again. This time under different circumstances. Sōsuke Aizen’s plan did go as he expected. The truth is Aizen did want to be defeated by Ichigo because Ichigo was Aizen’s biggest achievement. Sure Aizen accomplished a lot of significant achievements. He created the hogyoku, he created the Visoreds, and he also created the Arrancar, but most importantly Sōsuke Aizen single handedly created Ichigo Kurosaki.

Aizen was content with the way things had gone in Karakura Town. His quest to kill the Soul King had become less important than his quest to improve Ichigo. Everyone in the Soul Society had thought that Sōsuke Aizen was no longer going to be seen, however, during the Thousand Year Blood War, this was proven to be false.

Yhwach had done what no one thought was possible. Yhwach had successfully defeated the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 Yamamoto himself. The death of the Head Captain had truly shocked the Soul Society. 

Also, another major event was the death of the Soul KIng, who was killed by Ichigo, who at the time was under control of Yhwach. Sōsuke Aizen heard this news from some of the guards and was shocked. Ichigo had accomplished something Aizen himself had wanted to do. Aizen felt a sense of pride that Ichigo had truly become a powerful force. 

Yhwach during the war had deemed five people in the Soul Society as War Potentials or in other words, a threat to his plan. These five people were Kenpachi Zaraki, Kisuke Urahara, Head Captain Yamamoto, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Sōsuke Aizen. All for their own reasons, Sōsuke Aizen’s was specifically because of his ungodly amount of reiatsu, which surpasses anything like it before, even the Soul King himself. No one has or has ever had this amount like Aizen, in fact it made him the biggest threat out of the War Potentials. 

The war kept getting more and more traumatic for the Soul Society. They had also lost Captain Jushiro Ukitake and Captain Yachiru (Retsu) Unohana. The Soul Society did not even have time to mourn the deaths. It was one brutal assault after another from the Sternritters. It led all the shinigami to have their backs against the wall. Ichigo and company were about to experience something they would never forget. 

When Ichigo was training to achieve his true zanpakutō, Yhwach had invaded the Soul Palace. This caught the whole Zero Squad by surprise. The Captain of the Zero Squad, Ichibē Hyōsube had an intense battle with Yhwach, but unfortunately couldn’t prevail. The death of Ichibē had shocked everyone who was at the Soul Palace. Someone who arguably was the strongest shinigami, had been taken down despite his best efforts, by Yhwach and The Almighty. Everyone at the Soul Palace at that point had lost hope, all except for one person, Ichigo Kurosaki.

As inexperienced as Ichigo was, everyone knew that Ichigo was the only one in the Soul Society’s army that had a chance of defeating Yhwach. The reason Ichigo was marked as a War Potential by Yhwach was his uncapped potential. It’s truly the reason Aizen himself was so proud of Ichigo. There is no peak for Ichigo’s power. He truly is going to be the strongest Shinigami that has ever existed, and will surpass anyone because his potential is infinite. Yhwach deemed this as the best time to take care of Ichigo, a time before he could harness the true power of his zanpakutō.

Ichigo gave it his all, unleashing every ounce of strength he had. Ichigo tried every technique he knew, getsuga tenshō, hollowfication, different shunpo, but all in all he fell short. Yhwach overwhelmed every attack he had and in the end Ichigo fell short.

“Pathetic, to think I deemed you a threat. I should just end you here.” Before Ichigo could move a muscle, Yhwach impaled him through his chest with his own zanpakutō. Yhwach decided his work was done and decided to return to the Wandenreich, satisfied with what he had accomplished, the murder of another war potential. The room grew still. The one glimmer of hope they had was just defeated and not only defeated, but killed. They all truly felt helpless.

“Ichigo, hang in there, we will get you to Orihime so she could heal you. Stay with me.” Byakuya who usually had a calm and composed demeanor had trouble keeping that image when he saw Ichigo Kurosaki, someone who he cared deeply about, gasping for his last breath.

“Byakuya, do me a favor… Tell Orihime I love her for me. She deserves to hear it, and to be honest I wish I could have told her myself, but you see the situation I’m in.”

Before Byakuya could reply, it had seemed that Ichigo had breathed his last breath. The Soul Society’s last hope was killed in cold blood. All hope was lost for the Soul Society.

After the newly appointed Head Captain Shunsui Kyoraku got wind of Ichigo’s death, he immediately went to Central 46. He knew that there was only one person who could save the Soul Society. Sōsuke Aizen. Knowing he had no other choice, Kyoraku decided to suck up his pride and decided to release Sōsuke Aizen so that he could possibly help the Soul Society in their battle. Freedom for a favor? Seemed like something Aizen would agree to.

Central 46 had agreed to releasing Sōsuke Aizen in order to protect the Soul Society, but his release would only be granted if he agreed to help them. Shunsui headed to meet Aizen, and was actually a bit nervous. The Head Captain was usually unfazed by many things, but after their last encounter, Sōsuke Aizen truly terrified him. Shunsui also felt the pressure of everything riding on him getting Aizen to agree to help them. 

As he walked towards Aizen, his nerves rose even more. He took the seal off Aizen’s mouth first. “You might not be able to talk at first, but knowing you, you will probably be able to. Anyways let me explain the situation. The Soul Society-”

“The Soul Society needs my help in stopping Yhwach and his Quincy army. I’m well aware of what is going on Captain Kyoraku. I find it truly amusing that you think I would ever help the Soul Society. I have no reason to, no vested interest in this war. You guys must be really desperate if you’re requesting my help.”

“Central 46 has guaranteed your release from Muken if you agree to help us. No other strings attached. You’re right though, we are desperate. There is no one but you who could defeat Yhwach. We’ve lost many great people in this battle. We lost the Zero Squad Captain Ichibē Hyōsube, we lost Old Man Yama, we even lost poor little Ichigo Kurosaki to Yhwach and his quincy army.”

Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo? The one who defeated the Soul King himself? This can’t be true.” Aizen, who usually shows no remorse when it comes to death, felt a great deal of anger when he heard that his greatest achievement, Ichigo Kurosaki, had been killed. 

“I find it odd how you’re completely okay with my release Captain Kyoraku. What makes you think I won’t just kill everyone myself and save Yhwach the trouble. I have been here in this prison all because of the Soul Society, why would I help you?”

Aizen knew deep down as soon as he heard Ichigo had been killed by Yhwach he wanted to enact revenge for Ichigo. He felt an emotional attachment to Ichigo, as Aizen was the one responsible for his growth.

“Sōsuke we just have no other option, and I know deep down you don’t want to be ruled over by Yhwach. He knows who you are, it will only be a matter of time before he comes for you. Might as well get a head start.”

Aizen agreed to help. The two headed to the surface of the Soul Society, a place that Aizen had not seen for some time. Somehow, he knew exactly what he was going to see. He knew he would be greeted with a look of disgust and anger for what he had done to the Gotei 13, but this truly had no effect on Aizen. Not once has the feeling of regret crossed his mind since he enacted his plan. In fact, according to Aizen, his plan was far from over, something that no one in the Soul Society thought was even possible.

When the two arrived at the surface, it was as Aizen had predicted. He saw the captains of the Gotei 13, their Lieutenants, and other squad members looking at him with distaste. Aizen smiled, the way he always does. It fueled Aizen’s ego knowing that they had no other choice but him now that Ichigo Kurosaki is dead.

One thing Aizen did notice was a distraught Orihime Inoue, who had just heard the news that Ichigo had been defeated and slain in cold blood by Yhwach. She broke down. There was nothing no one could do or say that would cheer her up. Her best friend, someone who was always there for her, the love of her life, was gone for good. What made her even more sad is that her powers had no effect on him, there was no saving him this time. This time, there was no saying goodbye to him.

Aizen was taken back by these reactions. He knew he would be eyed by his former comrades, but they were so filled with anger, they had completely forgotten to mourn the loss of Ichigo. This actually made Aizen feel shocked, the fact that anger is a stronger emotion than sorrow.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AIZEN?” Shouted Renji Abarai. The others looked at Renji as if they were telling him he shouldn’t have spoken, but they all knew deep down that is what was on their minds.

“Hmm, nice to see you again Renji Abarai. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? I see you are still as arrogant as ever, something you should have outgrown by now. To me you are still an ant.”

“DAMN YOU AIZ-” 

“Renji that’s enough, don’t let him play mind games with you. I’m sure Head Captain Kyoraku has a good explanation as to why Aizen is released from Muken.” When Renji heard Rukia butt in, he calmed down. She was always there for him, always kept him cool, calm, and in line.

Head Captain Kyoraku saw the outrage of the others, not at him but at Aizen. He knew he had to address the situation.

“As many of you know, we lost the strongest warrior we had. We lost Ichigo Kurosaki. He was the best chance we had at defeating the Sternritters, he was our best chance at defeating Yhwach. I had no other choice, if we want to survive we had to use drastic measures. Who is the only person who has a chance against Yhwach? Aizen, he’s truly our last hope. We need to stand behind him.”

“He’s a traitor, why should we trust him. He put us through hell, literal hell. Why should we just excuse everything and pretend to move on.” Toshiro Hitsugaya chimed in. He was still clearly frustrated at all the pain and agony Aizen had put him through, knowing this, no one blamed him or said anything after he said that. Everyone knew Momo Hinamori was the most important person to him, and Aizen manipulated and hurt her, which in Captain Hitsugaya’s eyes is unforgivable. 

“The fact is I truly am the last hope for the Soul Society, but you can choose to do whatever you please Captain Hitsugaya. I have grown stronger while imprisoned, which makes me even more dangerous than before. So you’re right. Why should you trust me? Who’s gonna stop me from killing every single one of you.”

Everyone was blown back by this comment. Was this Aizen just toying with them? They truly all felt as if they were in a helpless position because they had to put their faith in the one man who had betrayed them in the past. The one man who had hurt them the most.

As Aizen was walking past everyone, he noticed the frustrated Orihime Inoue again. He could almost feel her heart racing. She lost her best friend and now he sees that Ichigo’s worst enemy is back in the picture. She felt so upset, she felt so angry. For the first time in her life, she was unable to smile through the pain. It made Aizen think a little.

“Orihime Inoue, it’s nice to see you again.” Aizen said with a grin.

“Aizen, if Ichigo was here, he wouldn’t stand for this. He wou-”

“Well the only reason I’m here is because he isn’t Orihime Inoue. He failed. He failed his friends, he failed, his family, and he failed you. I’m here to do what he could never do.”

“Aizen that’s enough!” Byakuya jumped in. He knew Aizen was toying with Orihime’s emotions. Byakuya was there when Ichigo died. He knew Ichigo did not fail, Ichigo had gone out with every ounce of fight he had left in him. Byakuya felt as if he had lost a best friend as well, someone he respected more than anyone, perhaps respected more than the Former Head Captain Yamamoto.

Aizen just laughed at Byakuya and walked away. Aizen knew what he was trying to do was working. Deep down he really felt grief for Ichigo, in fact Aizen felt pity for Orihime Inoue. Seeing her like that, he wanted to enact revenge even more. Aizen truly cared for no one except himself, or so they thought, but deep down he cared for Ichigo. Deep down he also started to show care for Orihime, but for some reason, could not explain as to why he felt this way. She was the only one who felt the same deal of grief as he did for their loss of Ichigo, all the other Soul Reaper’s were so focused on their hatred for him.

Yhwach had heard of Aizen’s release from Muken. The Almighty had even predicted it. It did not stress him out one bit knowing that one of his war potentials, one who he thought of as a sitting duck, was in the picture. In fact, deep down Yhwach thought that Aizen was just doing this for his freedom, and now that Aizen was granted his freedom, could be easily swayed to betray the Soul Society once again. 

Some time had passed since Aizen’s release from Muken. He spent a lot of time in his chambers, the chambers where he once spent his time when he was captain of the 5th Division. It was still strange for the others to see him back in this place. It was almost as if all the stuff with Aizen had never happened, a thought that scared the other Soul Reapers.

The other captains in the Gotei 13 started to wonder what Aizen was up to. He was awfully quiet. Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rukia Kuchiki, Isane Kotetsu, and Shinji Hirako all went together to question Aizen and figure out what he was up to. Toshiro was the one who spoke first for the group.

“Aizen what are you up to? You have been awfully quiet, it’s starting to make us feel uneasy. What’s the deal? Why are you just sitting here when Yhwach is out there still, probably planning something himself?”

“Captain Hitsugaya, do you really think I’m sitting here foolishly without any plan? Yhwach will come to the Soul Society any day now and try to work something out with me. He knows for a fact that I dislike everyone in the Gotei 13 and he will try to sway me to his side. It’s only a matter of time. If not today then tomorrow.”

They were all stunned. Aizen expects Yhwach, the one who is in control of the war, to come to him? This is just nonsense.

Just as Shinji was about to say this, they heard a bunch of commotion outside the quarters. Yhwach had arrived, just as Aizen had expected. In fact it surprised everyone who had just doubted Aizen, but it also left them to wonder; how did he know?

Yhwach was met by the other captains of the Gotei 13, all ready to release their zanpakuto on the leader of the Wandenreich. They were surprised, as he was only accompanied by his right hand man Jugo Haschwalth.

“You don’t want to do that. I’m not here to fight today. I am here for one man. Sōsuke Aizen.”

Everyone was surprised. What does Yhwach want with Aizen?

Aizen then entered the scene. Everyone was watching to see how Aizen would react to Yhwach’s demands. Was Aizen going to betray them? Was Aizen going to be swayed”

“I find it rather odd you feel this safe Yhwach to just come with your servant, you should have come more prepared.”

“I never thought I would see the day where Aizen is fighting alongside the Soul Society. Has Muken really changed you so much that you have forgotten reality? You should join us Aizen, and together we can rule over this world. We can become gods, we can become even more powerful than that. Everyone will worship us, and you can single handedly kill everyone in the Soul Society.”

“I’m not on their side. More importantly, I will never join your side. I will never follow anyone, following someone is a true sign of weakness. Another sign of weakness is underestimating your opponents true intentions. You think I joined this war for freedom? You couldn’t be more wrong. My sole purpose of joining this war was the same as me betraying the Soul Society. I came here to become a god, someone that transcends all boundaries known. I have done that, now I have come to claim my throne. A throne that is wrongfully claimed by you.”

“That’s absurd. What makes you think that you can defeat me when you couldn’t even defeat Jugo. Jugo, deal with this mess and meet me back at the palace. I have no further use for this lost individual.”

“Arrogance looks rather disgraceful on you, Yhwach. You think I will be defeated by some lowly being, someone who couldn’t defeat half the captains here right now. It’s truly shocking how much you underestimate your opponent.”

As Yhwach was leaving, he saw just before he left that Haschwalth had launched an attack. Just as Haschwalth went to attack Aizen, Aizen had disappeared. Where did he go? 

Aizen had appeared behind Haschwalth. Aizen grinned as he raised his hand in the sky and started releasing energy for his favorite kido spell; Hado #90 Kurohitsugi. The others noticed that this was about to happen and had started to go to take cover inside. 

“Attacking me with a kido without incantation? How arrogant of yo-”

“Hado #90 Kurohitsugi”

As soon as he released the spell, Haschwalth had been engulfed by the black coffin. This was the most destructive Hado #90 casted yet, even more destructive and more devastating than the full incantation one used on Ichigo. Aizen himself was shocked at this power. 

This was the most destructive power that anyone in the Soul Society had seen. They were all very shocked, both in a good way and a bad way. For once, they felt as if they had the upper hand in the war, a feeling that was taken away after the death of Ichigo Kurosaki.

As the black coffin had opened back up there was no sign of life in Haschwalth. Aizen had truly destroyed Haschwalth with that hado. Aizen smiled as he saw his enemies defeat. He knew that Yhwach, although not there, saw what he needed to see. Aizen knew that he had instilled fear in the Quincy Emperor.

After this fight it left many to wonder one thing. How did Aizen use Kyoka Suigetsu without releasing his shikai? Did Jugo Haschwalth already see his shikai prior to the fight?

“Aizen, it doesn’t make sense. That was your first time meeting that man? How did you use your Kyoka Suigetsu on him? Doesn’t it only affect a person if they have been exposed to your shikai?” asked a puzzled Shinji Hirako. He still had no trust in Aizen, especially after the history between the two. 

“I didn’t use Kyoka Suigetsu at all. That was simply just a shunpo, a mere flash step. I didn’t need to use my Kyoka Suigetsu on a weak opponent like him. He never stood a chance against me. There was no need to toy with him either, in fact he wasn’t worth the time at all as you could clearly see.”

Aizen didn’t use Kyoka Suigetsu? We have never seen a flash step that fast…

Overlooking the whole scene was Orihime Inoue. She was taken back at how powerful Aizen had become, she was taken back by the look of determination in his eyes. In fact, she thought to herself the only other person who looked with such determination and such focus, that person was Ichigo Kurosaki. How could Aizen remind her of Ichigo? They were complete opposites, enemies even, how can she say that about him? She started to rethink her opinion on Aizen.

After the battle with the Quincy was over, many were left to wonder what next? What is the plan? The entire Soul Society waited for Aizen to answer these questions. They were fully behind Aizen after that confrontation with Yhwach. Everyone truly believed that Aizen was the man to defeat Yhwach. 

Aizen knew what was going to happen next. He knew that Yhwach would panic and try to figure out a way to defeat Aizen. Aizen knew about The Almighty and it’s powers, Aizen knew that he had to be careful, however he also knew that Yhwach’s trust in The Almighty was going to be his biggest weakness, that trust would be his downfall.

Yhwach was shocked at the events, more than Aizen would expect. The Almighty did not show this outcome. The Almighty had shown Aizen being swayed to join their side, it showed Aizen single handedly defeating the Gotei 13, it also showed Aizen being defeated by Yhwach himself. Yhwach had faith that the last part could still hold true. Little did he know this was all an illusion created by Aizen himself. During their brief encounter, Aizen had got Yhwach under his Kanzen Saimin.

How Aizen did this was he had released his zanpakuto before he had got to the scene. No one had even seen his zanpakuto, he made sure the only person that could see it was Yhwach himself. Yhwach had been under the impression that Aizen’s Kyoka Suigetsu would have no effect on The Almighty, but because of the boost in reiatsu Aizen had gotten, it was very possible. Aizen was right, Aizen was being underestimated by Yhwach. This would be Yhwach’s downfall.

As Yhwach had returned to the Quincy Headquarters, he started to think over the events that just unfolded. He thought this plan out for nine years, and the first time since he attacked the Soul Society, he felt as if something didn’t go the way he had planned, the plan in which he referred to as perfect. He started to think of everything that has gone right, him having Ichigo kill the Soul King, him killing the head captain Yamamoto, him killing the zero squad, him killing Ichigo Kurosaki; so what is the difference now? Could he have given Aizen too much time to come up with his own plan? Yhwach felt as if that really didn’t matter because he had The Almighty on his side, he couldn’t fail.

So what’s next? What is my next step in action? 

What was going on elsewhere was the other sternritters were fighting with some captains and other high ranked shinigami all across the Soul Society. Yhwach felt as if the Sternritter were formidable enough opponents to where he only had to focus on one opponent, Sōsuke Aizen. 

Back at the Soul Society, Aizen knew that everything was in his control now, he had more control this time then during his last course of actions in Karakura Town. There was no need for the Oken, there was no Soul King to conquer, only Yhwach, someone he was very confident he could defeat. 

Aizen had shifted the tides in the war, something that no one thought possible since the death of Ichigo Kurosaki, which still was heavy in the mind of two individuals specifically, Orihime Inoue and Sōsuke Aizen. Little did the two know that this common thought, this common grief would bring them together.

Orihime would spend hours, sometimes even the whole day at Ichigo’s memorial. She truly could not believe that Ichigo was gone, that he had actually lost the fight. She couldn’t believe that she would never see her best friend again, the love of her life. 

Byakuya had shared Ichigo’s last words with Orihime, and those words had remained in her head. Those words would remain with her forever. She had cried so much since she found out the news of his passing that she physically could not anymore. Just as she was about to start again, she was greeted by a familiar but uneasy presence. 

“Aizen? What are you doing here? This is Ichigo’s memorial! You’re the last person he would want here!”

Aizen saw how hurt Orihime was while saying this to him, and to his surprise, he felt really sorry for her, he felt that he wanted to comfort her. Why am I feeling an attachment to this girl? Could it be that I feel sorry for her? 

“No need to be hostile Orihime, just paying my respects, that’s the least I could do. You know, Ichigo was truly a remarkable person. The only one worthy of a comparison to me, and I was involved in his progress and I have to say I was quite impressed with how he turned out.”

Aizen is saying nice things about Ichigo? Is there a catch? He seems so sincere? Is this a trick?

“What are you really up to Aizen? You can’t deceive me like the others, they seem to have forgotten who you truly are, but I haven’t.”

“I understand Orihime, but there is no need to keep a facade with you, I know you would see right through it. The death of Ichigo has taken an unexpected toll on me. I really did care for him, believe it or not.”

Orihime was shocked. She actually believed him. The thing she also wondered was why he was telling her out of all people this? What was the meaning behind all of this? She felt the sudden urge to try to comfort him.

“You know Aizen, if you want, you can stay here as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

Aizen was somewhat comforted in hearing that. Orihime felt as if maybe there was a good side to Aizen, a side that she could somehow bring out. Orihime felt as if Aizen was still redeemable after all the wrongdoings he did.

“I think behind it all, Ichigo cared about you as well Aizen, maybe not in the sense that you may think, but he did feel as if you were lonely when you two were fighting. As if you are so powerful that just having someone on the same level made you feel normal again and not alone?”

Aizen chuckled and hearing this chuckle made Orihime smile a little. She hadn’t smiled since she found out the news, but she couldn’t help herself here. She couldn’t help but think to herself that Aizen had a charming smile when he was happy.

Aizen wasn’t saying much, and Orihime wasn’t really surprised by this, so the two sat there for just some time enjoying each other's presence. After a while Orihime had one request for Aizen.

“Aizen can I ask you something? Can you make sure that Yhwach pays for what he did to Ichigo, if anyone can do it, it’s definitely you. At first I wasn't open to the idea of you being back, I was totally against it, but now I see. I see that you are the only one who can do it. Please avenge Ichigo! Don’t do it for me, do it for you!”

Do it for me? Aizen felt these words heavily. He even felt more motivated to defeat Yhwach with this extra push by Orihime. He was going to defeat Yhwach not only for himself, but for Ichigo. 

Some time had passed since Yhwach had tried to persuade Aizen to join the Wandenreich, and much to his surprise, the Sternritter hadn't been too successful in taking out some of the captains. In fact, he was sort of surprised by the two other war potentials Kenpachi Zaraki and Kisuke Urahara, both defeating their opponents. Yhwach felt as if his back was against the wall, he had to do something, he had to act now or else he was going to lose this war. 

Yhwach’s next plan of action is to face Aizen one on one, but he wanted to make it so Aizen had no idea that it was coming. Yhwach’s plan was to just blitz Aizen whenever Yhwach was ready, whenever Aizen least expected it. However, little did Yhwach know, Aizen was expecting this and in fact, Aizen was expecting Yhwach to attack without thinking, which is exactly what Yhwach was thinking. Yhwach really had no plan but to try to catch Aizen off guard, which Aizen thought of as laughable. Aizen somehow knew everything Yhwach was going to try to do. Aizen just thought of Yhwach as a very predictable character, as someone who acts before thinking when his back is against the wall, which is turning out to be exactly the kind of person Yhwach is. 

Yhwach, knowing full well that the longer he waited, the worse it was gonna be, decided to launch his attack on Aizen right away. He felt anger for the first time in a while, he hadn’t felt this anger since the last war a thousand years ago. 

Yhwach quickly approached the Soul Society and located Aizen, he had a feeling that this was the best chance, and since Yhwach was so quick no one could really comprehend his movements, decided that it was only going to take one hit to take out Aizen. Yhwach without the use of The Almighty, without hesitation attacked Aizen. Yhwach put his hand straight through the chest of Aizen. He had done it, he could feel it. He looked at Aizen’s agonizing face which then turned into a smirk and Aizen had faded away. Yhwach heard a familiar voice behind him.

“You think I would let me guard down in a time like this and not use my Kyoka Suigetsu? You think I would just be out here in the open allowing you to attack me like this?” 

Yhwach was shocked. How did he not think of this? Why was Aizen just waiting out in the open like this? Did he know?

“In case you’re wondering Yhwach, I was expecting you to launch an attack, and most importantly I was expecting you to launch an attack without much thought behind it, only emotion. Why are you attacking me like this Yhwach, without much planning at all? Is it because you deem me as a threat? Maybe. Is it out of fear? I believe so. How the mighty have fallen Yhwach, this time you are the one with your back against the wall. You can’t stop me.”

Yhwach started to sweat and his heart started to race. How is he doing this? How is he getting inside my mind?

“Your biggest weakness is your pride Yhwach. You have lost all sense of reality because you deem yourself as a being that transcends all. This has made you fail to realize two important details. Have you wondered when I released my shikai and got you under my Kyoka Suigetsu’s complete hypnosis spell?-”

Yhwach thought to himself that somehow this thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. How did Aizen do it? He was never caught off guard, he was sure of it.

“I have become one with my zanpakuto, which means that now I can hypnotize anyone just by being in their presence. It’s quite infatuating that you have failed to know this. Another thing is, have you also noticed how you cannot sense my reiatsu anymore? Probably hadn’t even crossed your mind since you probably would have sensed me here while your hand was through my illusion. This is because my reiatsu level has surpassed even yours. It has surpassed anyone’s before me, any shinigami, any, even the Soul King himself would not have been able to sense my reiatsu. Stop the comparisons Yhwach, it’s over, it’s time I claim my rightful place on the throne.”

Yhwach immediately became enraged. How could he lose to a shinigami? Why is he so much weaker than Aizen, what has changed. Had the hogyoku finally accepted Aizen, and if so why now and not before?

The truth is Aizen sealed was stronger than Yhwach, but him being unsealed has released his full potential, something Yhwach had not planned for. 

Aizen launched at Yhwach, catching the Quincy Emperor off guard. Yhwach quickly tried to move out of the way but the Aizen he saw disappeared. Instead, Yhwach had been stabbed through the stomach by the real Aizen. As soon as he tried to grab onto Aizen, Aizen had quickly stepped away.

“There’s no point in running Yhwach, this is your end. This is your real fate, the one the Almighty will show you as well.” 

After saying this Aizen had started to use a kido spell. Yhwach was surprised. All the battle data he had collected on Aizen, he would have predicted him to use Hado #90 Kurohitsugi like he did against Haschwalth. Instead this was something completely different that happened. Aizen used no incantation and still the ground started to shake and pillars started to rise from the ground. Then appeared five light purple dragons from the ground all surrounding Aizen. They all submerged onto Yhwach, destroying every inch of matter around him. There was no way Yhwach could have survived this onslaught. 

Yhwach was fading fast, that was too much of a devastating blow, too devastating to the point where he couldn’t move or act at all. He was stuck there helpless. Aizen approached him in a serious manner, Yhwach could tell he was not toying with him. Yhwach tried to use The Almighty one last time, but before he could do anything, he was stabbed in the chest by Aizen. The reason Aizen was able to do so much damage to Yhwach is the difference in their reiatsu. Aizen’s reiatsu was so otherworldly that it didn’t matter what Yhwach was, the son of the Soul King or not, Aizen was in a class of his own. 

Aizen, as Yhwach was fading away, felt as if now Ichigo was avenged. He did what he set out to do, even though he would never admit to this being his primary reasoning to wanting to defeat Yhwach. Aizen did the impossible, Aizen did what no one in the Soul Society did, what he thought Ichigo Kurosaki would do.

Peace had been restored in the Soul Society and once again, they held a memorial for the lost ones. Even though there was no threat anymore, the loss they had suffered still made the Soul Society feel so different then before.

Months had passed since the defeat of Yhwach and the Soul Palace had been seized by Aizen, but yet everyone was surprised that there was still peace within the Soul Society. Nothing had really changed and it left a lot of people uneasy, waiting for the next tragedy to happen in the Soul Society. 

Orihime Inoue continued on with her life after the loss of Ichigo, still feeling the hole that was left in her heart. Although she mourned him everyday since his passing, she was also relieved that at least there would be no more Quincies and no more war in the Soul Society.

She was also grateful that Aizen got revenge on Yhwach for murdering Ichigo in cold blood, and deep down she knew that Aizen really cared about Ichigo and maybe that’s why he has not done anything to the Soul Society. She could tell that he changed, maybe it was because of Ichigo’s death.

She really couldn’t help but think about Aizen since the day at the memorial. She would think about him everyday. She had no idea why she would think about him, but she would find herself wondering about how he is doing and just wondering what he was going to do next. She felt as if he had changed, but she was really worried about him reverting back into his old self, especially since he didn’t really have anyone to support him.

She also began to wonder when the next time she would be able to see him, for some unknown reason to her, she found herself really wanting to see him, really wanting to hear his voice, she found that day that she found it rather comforting instead of terrifying like before. 

What was going on with her?

One morning when Orihime was walking to school she found herself seeing something she thought she would never see again. She found herself staring at one of the royal guards, the zero squad. 

She was confused about what was going on. The Soul King was no longer alive, so who’s orders are they acting on?

“There is someone who has requested your presence. Sōsuke Aizen wants to have a word with you.”

Aizen? What could he want?

Orihime felt uneasy after hearing that Aizen had wanted to speak to her and also wondered why her out of all people. 

As Orihime entered the Soul Palace her heart started racing, she was nervous for what was about to happen. Aizen was never someone she felt comfortable being around, for obvious reasons, except that one time that they had spent time together at Ichigo’s memorial. 

She had entered the throne room, where Aizen sat there and welcomed her, almost like he was happy to see her. The moment she saw Aizen, she could not help but feel a different aura surrounding him, not in terms of reiatsu, but she did not feel a dark presence.

Maybe he really had changed…

“Leave the room at once.” he said to the guards. It was just them 2, alone in a familiar room to her. This was where Ichigo had been taken from her and she couldn’t help but feel like crying because that’s the only thing she could think of.

“Why am I here? Why out of all people would you summon me? There’s surely more-”

“Orihime. The reason I sent for you should be quite clear. You remember the day at the memorial?”

He had been thinking about that too? She started to look at him differently. She noticed the smile on his face when he would be talking with her. Is this the same guy as before? There’s no way. That was a monster, this guy is so handsome, probably the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. Oh my god, was she blushing? Has she started to feel this sudden attraction to him all because he seems totally different now? That he was thinking of a moment she often thinks about as well? She was so flustered with emotions. 

“What about it exactly?”

“Well I am a man who gets what he wants, what he desires. I used to think that I wanted this power, I used to think that I wanted to share my vision with the world, to create a better Soul Society, the one that I would want to live in, but after that day, I just want to share my vision with one person and one person only, you.”

You. She never thought that she would have been wanting to hear those words. Deep down ever since that day she had felt a special connection to him. She felt as though they had bonded over the death of Ichigo, and somehow she felt as if Ichigo would want her to move on. Aizen though? He definitely would not approve of, but somehow she felt as if this isn’t the Aizen the Ichigo knew at all. This isn’t the Aizen anyone knew at all. This was a different person. 

“Why me? What about me makes me so special to you? How do I know that this isn’t a part of some evil plan of yours?” 

“What would I have to gain from manipulating you?”

Deep down she knew that he was being honest. She felt that maybe he was alone at the top, more alone than he realized now that he is by himself. Maybe Orihime could help make him feel better, she wanted to after all. She felt something ever since the day at the memorial that she didn’t realize until now. An emotion she had only really felt with one person before, which was Ichigo, she felt love. 

The traumatic experience had brought the two together. The feeling that was unknown to Orihime was in fact love. The reason why Aizen had wanted to share his vision with Orihime and only Orihime was love. 

The two would then go on to sit on the throne of the Soul Society, forever happy, and forever with each other, exactly the way they wanted it to be. 

Aizen was a changed man and Orihime was the reason for that change. He was never a threat to the Soul Society ever again, and instead fought to protect the place and the person Ichigo had loved dearly.


End file.
